Shortly after leaving the station we entered the dreary Schoellenen
defile, certainly one of the finest in all Switzerland. The road here is
cut in the sides of huge granite rocks. At the base of the gorge rushes
the foaming Reuss, tearing madly against the rocks, which try in vain to
arrest its course. All the way from Geschenen to Andermatt the ascent is
very steep--the road in some places being almost suspended over the
Reuss. Of course, our progress was slow, as, in addition to the
steepness of the road, we had to pass by (and sometimes through) huge
snow drifts from twelve to twenty feet high. When we crossed the famous
Devil's bridge it was covered with mist, produced by the spray from the
neighbouring cataracts. The _old_ Devil's bridge, a few feet below the
new one, has been disused for many years, and is now covered with moss
and lichens. After leaving these the road passes through a long tunnel
(covered with icicles in the early spring) into the valley of Unseren,
which No. 2 said was fertile in summer--but how different when we saw
it! The pastures were covered with snow and ice, and so altered was the
scene, that the younger bachelor (No. 1) thought he was beholding a huge
lake snowed over.
Andermatt looked very pretty with its ancient Romanesque church and
funny little white-washed chalets, and how glad we were to get there!
famished with hunger, and fearfully cold, notwithstanding all our
wrapping up! We drove to a smart-looking hotel, where we were received
pleasantly.
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